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Kevin Meyer

Medical device company president, lean enterprise consultant, author, speaker.

Recent Activity

Net Nonsense - hilarious commentary

By Kevin Meyer My Net Nonsense post from a couple weeks ago on the evils of large companies trying to force long payment terms on suppliers received considerable coverage, including being reposted in Quality Digest this week. However the best... Continue reading

Posted 2 days ago at Evolving Excellence

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Former Toyota Executive Speaks

Our friend Pete Abilla (author of the Shmula blog – now creator of a site that can help you find a math tutor and more) often reminds us that, during his time at Toyota, the phrase “respect for humanity” was... Continue reading

Posted May 5, 2013 at Evolving Excellence

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By Kevin Meyer A few months ago I told you how, in my past life as president of a medical device company, I had two reliable leading indicators of a potential customer relationship. Basically if the customer demanded automatic annual... Continue reading

Posted Apr 25, 2013 at Evolving Excellence

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A Lesson on Leadership from Marrakech

By Kevin Meyer My wife and I are currently in Marrakech, Morocco, on one of our increasingly frequent trips to explore new locales. Truly a remarkable place, and with the tall snowcapped Atlas Mountains only an hour away in one... Continue reading

Posted Apr 9, 2013 at Evolving Excellence

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The Last 100 Feet of Walmart's Supply Chain

By Kevin Meyer I've written a lot about Walmart, in particular their supposedly glorious supply chain. To be honest, they execute a traditional supply chain exceptionally well. They source from cheap labor countries, put it on big ships, and distribute... Continue reading

Posted Mar 26, 2013 at Evolving Excellence

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The Postal Service Forgets the Customer

By Kevin Meyer A recent CNN article pretty much describes the problem at the US Postal Service, although that wasn't really its intent. You see, there's this new startup called Outbox that is working to digitize traditional paper mail, and... Continue reading

Posted Mar 12, 2013 at Evolving Excellence

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68 Free Lean and Six Sigma Training DVDs!

Gemba Academy is excited to announce its March promotion! Specifically, between March 1 and March 31 anyone that purchases a 1-year subscription to the School of Lean and School of Six Sigma will receive all of Gemba Academy's 450+ training... Continue reading

Posted Mar 11, 2013 at Evolving Excellence

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Those Disposable People

By Kevin Meyer Several articles over the past week have once again raised my hackles on the oft-forgotten second pillar of lean: respect for people. Two weeks ago Yahoo CEO Marissa Mayer made the news by mandating that Yahoo employees... Continue reading

Posted Mar 9, 2013 at Evolving Excellence

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Data, Facts, and Truth

By Kevin Meyer I've been observing the growing love affair with "big data" with increasing skepticism, and perhaps even worry. Long-time readers know I've always been this way; in fact, one of my first posts - seven years ago -... Continue reading

Posted Feb 24, 2013 at Evolving Excellence

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Disruption, Mission, Measurement, and Families

By Kevin Meyer It's time for a smorgasborg to clear out a few articles I've been meaning to write about, so prepare to bounce a little all over the place! First off, with a hat tip to Jason Yip, is... Continue reading

Posted Feb 9, 2013 at Evolving Excellence

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Of GE and Boeing

By Kevin Meyer While the world watches Boeing and the FAA trace a 787 Dreamliner battery problem from Seattle to Japan to Arizona to Italy then back to Japan, our recovering outsourcing addict friends at GE continue to move in... Continue reading

Posted Feb 7, 2013 at Evolving Excellence

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This is your brain...

By Kevin Meyer The other day I was talking to a couple execs at a local manufacturing company, and the usual topic of the evils of doing business in California came up. I responded that yes, it is difficult, but... Continue reading

Posted Jan 25, 2013 at Evolving Excellence

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And Movin' On...

By Kevin Meyer Just a brief personal note thanking Bill for his contributions to Evolving Excellence over the last seven years (really, that long?). When I first met Bill I liked his style as it meshed well with my own... Continue reading

Posted Jan 24, 2013 at Evolving Excellence

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By Kevin Meyer Consider the following: In order to accomplish a best-in-market customer experience, instill a differentiated skill-set, and bring the relevant institutional knowledge, skills, and facilitation expertise in-house, we have identified five mission-critical goals. Or Designers work to envision... Continue reading

Posted Jan 11, 2013 at Evolving Excellence

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A Sucker for a Slow Boat

By Kevin Meyer You're looking at the Marco Polo, owned by CMA CGM, which can hold more than 16,000 containers and reach a speed of 24 knots. Regular readers know Bill and I have often derided the idiocy of such... Continue reading

Posted Jan 8, 2013 at Evolving Excellence

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Filling in the Other Eye

By Kevin Meyer If that title doesn't make sense, Google "daruma." Or pick up a copy of Matthew May's The Shibumi Strategy - a short business novel that changed my life a few years ago. Perhaps some good holiday reading?... Continue reading

Posted Dec 21, 2012 at Evolving Excellence

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2012 Management Improvement Blog Review

By Kevin Meyer Once again I'm honored to participate in John Hunter's annual Curious Cat Management Improvement Blog Review. Check out the link to read reviews of some of the best management blogs and posts from the past year. As... Continue reading

Posted Dec 16, 2012 at Evolving Excellence

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Contextual Comparison

By Kevin Meyer I love reading The Wall Street Journal on the iPad. More than any other newspaper or magazine, the WSJ got it right in terms of functionality and readability. And the format sometimes leads to the ability to... Continue reading

Posted Dec 4, 2012 at Evolving Excellence

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You're Good When You Think You're Bad

By Kevin Meyer Over a decade ago I created my first lean enterprise assessment, just as a tool to help me understand gaps in my organization. I'm generally loath to use such tools as they are generally misinterpreted, gamed, or... Continue reading

Posted Nov 29, 2012 at Evolving Excellence

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5 Questions - Meet Mark Graban

In this edition of 5 Questions we meet Mark Graban, a good friend of ours that has become focused on the opportunities lean creates in the healthcare industry. ------ 1) Who are you, what organization are you with, and what... Continue reading

Posted Nov 24, 2012 at Evolving Excellence

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The Lean Value of Coffee

By Kevin Meyer Now that I can reliably see again, I have something of a pent-up list of topics I'd like to write on. But it's the weekend, so let's start with something a bit more fun - and perhaps... Continue reading

Posted Nov 24, 2012 at Evolving Excellence

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By Kevin Meyer Sorry about the absence from Evolving Excellence. Over the last few weeks I've been working through a vision issue that has now been corrected with some successful eye muscle surgery. In fact, yesterday was the first time... Continue reading

Posted Nov 11, 2012 at Evolving Excellence

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5 Questions - Meet Art Byrne

By Kevin Meyer It's been a while since we've had an edition of "5 Questions" but this is someone many of us already know and the rest of you should. Every lean person knows of the Wiremold lean turnaround story,... Continue reading

Posted Oct 23, 2012 at Evolving Excellence

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A Failure of Markets and Other Observations from Asia

By Kevin Meyer I’m currently winging my way back home after two weeks in Thailand and Laos. Sort of a last minute vacation for my wife and I to recenter and reconnect after a very difficult September that ultimately resulted... Continue reading

Posted Oct 13, 2012 at Evolving Excellence

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Just Observing, Sir.

By Kevin Meyer I'm a fairly simple and frugal guy, but there are three, maybe four, luxuries that I do indulge in. When I travel on business I just need a clean bed and I love Marriott's Courtyard chain. When... Continue reading

Posted Oct 1, 2012 at Evolving Excellence

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